Table 3.2.
Cross-sectional studies on SBS
| References | Sample population | Questionnaire survey/objective measurement | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burge et al. (1987) | 4373 office workers in 42 office buildings in the UK | SBS | Workers had more SBS symptoms in buildings that were humidified or air-conditioned. Complaint: lethargy (57%), nasal congestion (47%), dry throat (46%), headache (46%). Symptoms (mean building sickness index) were more in women than in men and were independently more frequent in clerical workers, secretaries than in technical and professional employees and managers |
| Skov et al. (1989) | 4369 workers in 14 town halls and affiliated buildings in Denmark | SBS, ambient climate, CO2, formaldehyde, VOCs, airborne dust, fibres, lighting, micro-organism, static electricity, noise, housekeeping; analysis of building material, materials used in office equipment | Employees in mechanically ventilated buildings had highest rates of mucous membrane irritation, headache, fatigue; clerical and social workers had more complaints than those of professional workers. Increased incidence of mucous irritation from exposure to photograph printing, carbonless paper, and VDT. Females had a higher prevalence of mucosal irritation and general symptoms than males |
| Richards et al. (1993) | 2598 combat troops stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War | Investigation of respiratory illness | The type of housing (air-conditioned buildings, non-air-conditioned buildings, open warehouses, and tents) influenced the prevalence of symptoms. Ever vs. never housed in an air-conditioned building was associated with ~37% greater prevalence of a sore throat, and 19% greater prevalence of a cough |
| Ooi et al. (1998) | 2856 office workers in 56 public and private sector buildings in Singapore | A self-administered questionnaire introduced on SBS and perception of the physical and psychosocial environment, measurement of ambient climate, respirable dust, chemicals, bioaerosol, and other variables | Health complaints included neurotoxic reactions (fatigue, headache, drowsiness, dizziness), eye irritation, irritation of the nose, throat, and airway (stuffy nose, dry throat, shortness of breath), skin irritation (dryness, rash), and other complaints (nausea, vomiting). Associations of the physical environment and work-related stress with the history of health ailments among the building occupants. SBS symptoms became more apparent over the work shift and resolved upon leaving the premises |
| Milton et al. (2000) | 3720 workers from 40 buildings with a total of 110 independently-ventilated floors | Recorded short-term absence from work and incidences of acute respiratory illnesses. | Based on analysis of ventilation system design, occupancy, and end-of-day CO2 measurements, the ventilation rates of buildings were classified as moderate (~12 L/sec) or high ventilation (~24 L/sec per occupant). The absence rate was 35% lower in the high-ventilation buildings |
| Brasche et al. (2001) | 1464 (60% females) in 14 office buildings from the German ProKlimA-Project | SBS survey and ergonomics data on working conditions and job characteristics | Gender-specific SBS prevalence rates differ for the whole sample; complaints were significantly higher in females. Independent of personal, work-related and building factors, ~36% of females with the most favourable job characteristic suffered SBS (male: ~19%), 53% of females with the most unfavourable job characteristic suffered SBS (males: ~33%) |
| Reijula and Sundman-Digert (2004) | 11154 office workers from 122 workplaces in Finland during the period of 1996–99 | SBS |
Most common indoor problems as reported by respondents: dry air (35%), stuffy air (34%), dust or dirt in the indoor environment (25%), and draught (22%) Common work-related symptoms: irritated, stuffy, or running nose (20%), itching, burning, or eye irritation (17%), and fatigue (16%) Women reported symptoms more often than men. Allergic persons and smokers reported indoor air problems and work-related symptoms more often than non-allergic persons and non-smokers |
| Apte and Erdmann (2003) | US EPA Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) study of 100 large office buildings during the period of 1994 to 1998 | Environmental parameters (e.g., CO2, CO, VOCs, air temperature, and RH), including data of jobs, perceptions about indoor environment, health, and well-being. SBS related to mucous membrane (irritation of eyes, stuffy nose/sinus, and sore throat), lower respiratory (chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough or wheezing), fatigue, headache, and dry or itchy skin | The analysis covered 36 VOC compounds (41 buildings), formaldehyde (100 buildings) and acetaldehyde (86 buildings), as analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed dose-dependent associations for dry eyes, sore throat, nose/sinus congestion, and wheeze symptoms with the delta change in indoor and outdoor CO2 concentrations. VOC sources had a direct association with mucous membrane and lower respiratory irritation |
| Marmot et al. (2006) | 4052 male and female participants from 44 office buildings in longitudinal Whitehall II SBS study in the UK | Self-reported ten SBS symptoms (i.e., headache, cough, dry eyes, blocked/runny nose, tired for no reason, rashes/itches, cold/flu, dry throat, sore throat, and wheeziness) | 25% of men and 15% of women reported no symptoms, whereas 14% of men and 19% of women reported five or more symptoms. There was positive (non‐significant) relationship between the aspects of the local physical environment (airborne bacteria, inhalable dust, air temperature, RH) and SBS symptoms prevalence. More significant effects were found with features of the psychosocial work environment, such as high job demands and low support |
| Karjalainen (2007) | 3094 (50% females) in the home environment; 1000 (52% females) in an office environment | Telephonic interview; thermal satisfaction | In general, men reported higher thermal satisfaction. The relative percentage of people voted to uncomfortably hot or cold votes was consistently higher in females |
| Syazwan et al. (2009) | 176 office workers in two buildings (new and old) at Kuala Lumpur | SBS and IAQ | These buildings had the same centralized air-conditioning unit, and the office was dependent only on the general ventilation. Nearly ~69% of office workers from old building recorded SBS, in comparison with 36% of office workers in the new building |
| Aries et al. (2010) | 333 occupants (42% females) from 10 office buildings in the Netherlands | SBS, office layout, lighting, physical and psychological discomfort | The significant relationship observed between gender and office lighting, including desk lighting, physical and psychological discomfort, such as concentration problem, dullness, headache, bad vision, and dry throat/eyes |
| Zalejska-Jonsson and Wilhelmsson (2013) | 5660 (53% female) in residential buildings in Sweden | Questionnaire; thermal comfort, IAQ, acoustics | Thermal comfort and overall IEQ satisfaction are greater among female occupants. Problems associated with IEQ (stuffy air, draught, and dust) were more among females than males |